Feb. 12, 2015

Feb. 11, 2015

Launch of Deep Space Climate Observatory, satellite built to monitor solar flares, is delayed due to windy conditions at Cape Canaveral, Fla. MORE

Feb. 8, 2015

Deep Space Climate Observatory, satellite equipped to detect solar storms and measure energy radiating from earth, is set to take off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida; satellite's purpose has changed since Vice Pres Al Gore in 1998 came up with idea to send craft into space that could send back inspirational and educational images of Earth. MORE

Jan. 21, 2015

Google, in partnership with Fidelity Investments, invests $1 billion in Space Exploration Technologies, private rocketry company known as SpaceX that was founded by Elon Musk; investment is in line with Google's ambition to create satellite network that could bring Internet to globe's most remote corners. MORE

Jun. 30, 2014

NASA is launching Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 satellite in attempt to gain better data on how carbon dioxide moves into and out of atmosphere; data could be key to understanding climate change and how to deal with issue. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

Airbus Group and Safran of France plan to merge their satellite launching activities into new company that aims to better compete against lower-cost rivals from Russia and United States. MORE

Apr. 29, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Kevin Ashton argues that long-thwarted search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 highlights shocking technology gap in which the aerospace industry has lagged far behind in an Internet-connected world; calls for implementation of a new generation of satellite technology that will allow airplanes to continually broadcast their location and other data. MORE

Apr. 14, 2014

Following in Facebook’s footsteps, Google said Monday that it had purchased Titan Aerospace, the maker of high-altitude drone satellites, which will be used to take photos of the earth and to connect people to the Internet. MORE

Apr. 10, 2014

Inmarsat, global satellite communications company that has manged overall flow of information during search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, has found itself thrust into spotlight during crisis; London-based organization produced innovative analysis of radio signals that focused search on the southern Indian Ocean. MORE

Mar. 21, 2014

Airline industry, long before Malaysia Airlines plane vanished, had sophisticated tools to follow planes and stream data from their flight recorders, but given cost and the general safety of air travel, neither the airlines nor regulators adopted them; experts say disappearance of jet and improvements in satellite technology could provide new impetus to track planes more closely. MORE

Mar. 17, 2014

Start-up Planet Labs is challenging giants of the space industry like Boeing by producing dozens of small satellites that are cheaper and quicker to build than traditional satellites; several young companies with roots in Silicon Valley are trying to elbow their way into industry. MORE

Mar. 15, 2014

Satellite company Inmarsat says it has recorded electronic signals that could prove to be the first big break in helping narrow the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, as hunt for missing jet pushes into Indian Ocean. MORE

Feb. 18, 2014

India’s satellite mission to Mars is remarkable for its relatively low cost of $75 million given the normally sky-high expense of space exploration; 3,000-pound satellite carries five instruments that will measure methane gas, marker of life on planet. MORE

Nov. 12, 2013

The Week column; one-ton European satellite that once mapped Earth's gravitational field crashes into Atlantic Ocean after running out of propellant; though satellite mostly burned up in process, such incidents constitute worrisome trend; other significant news in science highlighted. MORE

Nov. 7, 2013

European satellite that mapped Earth’s gravitational field in exquisite detail will be pulled down by gravity to its fiery destruction sometime in the next few days, but where and when it will crash remains unclear. MORE

Aug. 11, 2013

Anne Eisenberg Novelties column observes that by expanding Earth imaging, new low-cost satellites could help many businesses keep track of their operations; points out, however, that frequent updating of those images may also raise privacy questions. MORE

Jan. 31, 2013

South Korea succeeds in thrusting satellite into orbit for first time, joining elite club of space technology leaders seven weeks after successful launching of satellite by rival North Korea. MORE

Jan. 4, 2013

Communications satellites, which orbit Earth to relay phone calls and broadcast television programs, will become legal for civilian export under legislation signed into law by Pres Obama. MORE

Dec. 18, 2012

Astronomers say North Korean satellite appears to be tumbling in orbit and is most likely dead one week after being launched into space; evident failure seems to represent major blow to North's portrayal of launching as complete triumph. MORE

Nov. 2, 2012

Editorial warns that bad mismanagement and short-sighted federal budget cuts will severely hamper weather forecasters’ capability to accurately predict paths of storms like Hurricane Sandy, due to lack of sufficient weather-tracking satellites. MORE

Oct. 27, 2012

United States is facing year or more without crucial satellites that provide invaluable data for predicting storm tracks, result of years of mismanagement, lack of financing and delays in launching replacements; looming gap could result in shaky forecasts for storms such as Hurricane Sandy, which is expected to hit the East Coast in a number of days. MORE

Aug. 8, 2012

Russian booster rocket carrying two telecommunications satellites malfunctions during launch, failing to deliver the satellites into their proper orbit and rendering them useless and unsalvageable; incident is yet another blow to Russia's space program. MORE

Jul. 12, 2012

Virgin Galactic, space venture founded by Richard Branson, says it plans to develop a rocket that would carry small satellites into orbit at a fraction of the current cost. MORE

Jun. 1, 2012

Op-Ed article by scientist Heidi Cullen cites warning by the National Research Council about the precipitous decline of the American system of Earth-observing satellites; cautions decline will affect the gathering of timely and accurate weather data, and will particularly affect the accuracy of hurricane forecasting; calls for an increased emphasis and funding of satellite programs. MORE

May. 3, 2012

National Research Council report finds that earth-observing systems operated by the United States have entered a steep decline, imperiling the nation’s monitoring of weather, natural disasters and climate change. MORE

Apr. 20, 2012

United States spies and military commanders are at odds over how big a role commercial satellite companies should play in gathering imagery for the government; Obama administration wants to cut the contract for commercial satellite imagery in half next year, to help meet deficit reduction requirements, while bringing back more of the work inside the government; industry officials claim cuts could leave military commanders in the lurch. MORE

Apr. 17, 2012

United Nations Security Council officially censures North Korea over failed rocket launching of a satellite and orders its sanctions committee to expand the blacklist of North Korean goods, companies and individuals connected to that country's nuclear and missile program. MORE

Apr. 14, 2012

Spectacular failure of a $1 billion rocket meant to put a satellite into orbit is a public humiliation for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and may present the first test of whether anyone will dare to challenge his fledgling rule; American officials express worry that Kim may be tempted to recover by staging a larger provocation. MORE

Apr. 11, 2012

North Korean officials announce that they have completed preparations to a launch a satellite into orbit, defying warnings by the United Nations that such a launch would violate a Security Council resolution; South Korea and other Asian nations tell their airlines and ships to change routes to avoid the rocket. MORE

Apr. 4, 2012

Airlines and airports are testing a satellite technology-based guidance system that could reduce congestion and fuel consumption by allowing planes to take a more direct route to the runway; Alaska Airlines flights will begin extensive testing of the system to land at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport; system, if adopted nationwide, would replace the radar-based air traffic control system in place since the 1940s. MORE

Mar. 28, 2012

North Korea announces intention to press ahead with its plan to launch a satellite into orbit, rebuffing Pres Obama and other world leaders who have told the country to cancel the launching or face loss of food aid and additional sanctions; international community has warned that the launch may be a cover for missile technology development. MORE

Mar. 17, 2012

North Korea announces plans to launch a satellite into orbit, only days after agreeing to suspend nuclear tests and uranium enrichment; US and other countries say launching violates United Nations Security Council resolutions demanding that North Korea stop launching rockets that use long-range intercontinental ballistic missile technology, which could be used to deliver nuclear weapons. MORE

Feb. 19, 2012

National Research Council, a nonprofit group, reports that the problem of extraterrestrial clutter has reached a point where, if nothing is done, a cascade of collisions will eventually make low-Earth orbit unusable; researchers are stepping in with a variety of creative solutions, from nets that would round up items and drag them to Earth's atmosphere to the firing of lasers that would send items into safer orbits to a space vacuum. MORE

Feb. 16, 2012

Swiss scientists say they plan to launch an $11 million satellite, called CleanSpace One, specially designed to get rid of orbiting debris known as space junk. MORE

Feb. 10, 2012

Jamesburg Earth Station, a satellite relay base from the 1960s that was built to survive a nuclear attack, is for sale in California after a Silicon Valley mogul gives up on plans to turn it into a weekend home; is a $3 million tech-lover’s paradise on 161 acres equipped with a 97-foot satellite dish. MORE

Oct. 20, 2011

Scientists at German Aerospace center say that they are no longer able to communicate with retired satellite that is hurtling back to Earth, and they are not sure where exactly pieces of it will land. MORE

Google is investing in Elon Musk’s company, which is planning a broadband network of 4,000 satellites. The pioneering Teledesic tried something similar two decades ago but failed, notes Robert Cyran of Reuters Breakingviews.